Page 73 - Phonebox Magazine November 2014

Wellington boots and bath tubs
Sarah Wall
First in the upcycled series, we focus on the garden.
While the start of the winter months means less time outside digging around in the flowerbeds, we’ve
got some ideas to get you into the gardening mode from inside the warmth of your home. Why not take the opportunity to get creative and make some upcycled projects for the garden, it’s easier than you might think. Whatever your garden, whether it be acres
as plant pots, especially if a bit chipped and worn, they will add to the rustic look and feel of the garden and brighten it up a bit more than a traditional plant pot might. For cut flowers, why not use old glass bottles or even old light bulbs, which can be hung from tree branches or fence posts, adding a touch of boho-chic to the garden.
If you’ve got a slightly larger space at your disposal but no sections to plant flowers or
the herbs and veg? You could write on old wooden spoons and stick them into the soil, or save lolly pop sticks and use them. Probably the most traditional form of upcycling in the garden is the classic scarecrow, and also the tyre swing, creating lasting additions to the garden at minimal costs. If you’ve got a lot of old cutlery it could possibly be upcycled into a wind chime, we’re not sure it will make the most musical sound, but would surely scare
of land, a small flower bed or just some pavingoutsideyourwindow,therearemany waystoupcycleolditemstocreatesomefun andvintagelookingadditionstoyourgarden.
vegetables in, why not use an old bathtub for aflowerbed?Againcreatingarusticfeel,the bathtubcouldbepaintedtofityourgarden orleftasitis,simplyfillitwithsoilandyou’ll
off the birds from your flowerbed. Hopefully these give you a few ideas of how to spice up your garden a bit on a budget, we’d love to see some
Plant pots, for example, are often quite pricey and if not pricey rather boring. Why not use some old items from around the house and garage to make some quirky plant pots for the garden? Wellington boots that the kids have grown out of can make colourful plant pots, and look great positioned in pairs. You could even leave some ‘footprints’ behind to create a story-telling opportunity for when the little ones come round. Similarly, old bowls, saucepans and mugs can all be used
have the perfect space to plant your seeds. If you’ve got a plant bed but want to make it look a little quirkier, why not use an old ladder laid down to create sections to divide the different plants in a different, rustic style. Wherever you find to plant those seeds, why not use an upcycled method of labelling
of your upcycled gardens, why not share a photo onto our facebook page? facebook.com/phoneboxmag. Check in next month for another idea in the upcycled theme.
Old Wellington boots make great recycled plant pots
Phonebox Magazine 73